Alstom, Bombardier receive 1.3bn euro order from Belgian railways

18th December 2015, 0 comments

French engineering giant Alstom and Canadian train manufacturer Bombardier said Friday they have received an order worth 1.3 billion euros ($1.4 billion) to deliver double-decker trains to the Belgian national railways.

Bombardier and Alstom said in a joint statement that they had signed an initial deal for the design and manufacture of 445 cars for delivery between September 2018 and 2021.

Bombardier's share of the order was valued at 787 million euros and Alstom's at 471 million euros, the statement issued by Bombardier's German unit said.

But the framework contract also included options for up to 917 additional cars, bringing the potential total value to 3.3 billion euros, it added.

Bombardier Transportation chief Laurent Troger said the contract "for almost 1,400 double-deck coaches will provide the people of Belgium with the highest standard of modern mobility solutions."

"This order clearly reflects the strong confidence the SNCB-NMBS has in our double-deck trains and the level of comfort they offer. It is also an indication that the vehicles are really appreciated by the passengers and represent the ideal answer to increasing ridership," said Andreas Knitter of Alstom Europe.

These new trains will increase the overall capacity on SNCB-NMBS network by adding an additional 145,000 seats.

The trains would be able to run at speeds of up to 200 kilometres (124 miles) per hour and would operate on all Belgian mainlines, cross border with the Netherlands and Luxembourg, including on some high speed lines, the statement said.